


paint

by SweetInsanityWrites (SweetInsanityArts)



Category: The Book of Mormon - Parker/Stone/Lopez
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, One Shot, Past Abuse, churchtarts, it's just a silly little thing idk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-11
Updated: 2019-05-11
Packaged: 2020-03-01 04:22:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18792898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SweetInsanityArts/pseuds/SweetInsanityWrites
Summary: friend gave me a prompt, i wrote a silly little one shot, you know how it goes





	paint

Something felt off to Chris as he opened the door to their apartment. 

 

Normally, he’d come home to the sound of James’ study playlist, finding him hunched over a notebook, preparing for class the next day like the overachiever he was. Chris would make them dinner and drag his boyfriend away from his desk to join him in the kitchen. They’d talk about their day and wonder what the other boys from district 9 were doing these days, before retiring to the couch to watch TV and cuddle. It was their perfectly predictable routine. 

 

Today, there was no music. No sound of pen scratching on paper. No cheerful humming. Chris felt his chest tighten with worry. He heard a whimper coming from their living room. 

 

“James?” He carefully stepped into the dimly lit room. The silhouette of his boyfriend was barely visible in the shadows under the desk, where he was curled up, head in his hands.

 

“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.” James whispered, glancing up at Chris with huge eyes. 

 

“Sweetheart, what happened?” Chris kneeled down carefully, unsure if he should approach or touch the frightened man. 

 

“I- I didn’t mean- it was an accident! … I was painting and the brush flicked off the canvas and .. I got p-p-paint on your new laptop.” He sobbed.

 

Instinctively, Chris reached out to hug his boyfriend. “Honey, it’s okay.”

James flinched at the sudden movement, shielding his face with his arms. 

Chris’ heart broke. 

Of course. His father.

 

“Jay.” He said softly. “It is okay. I’m not mad. It’s just a piece of plastic. No harm done.”

 

“It was expensive…” James mumbled. “You saved up for it so long. I ruined it. I tried to wipe it off but now it looks even worse.”

 

“Can I touch you?” 

 

James looked at him with wide eyes. He bit his lip. Then he nodded.

 

Making sure to move slowly this time, Chris crawled under the desk.

He took James’ hand and squeezed it gently. It made his chest ache to feel the trembling of the slender fingers wrapped around his. James was such a beautiful, gentle person who saw the world in a wonderful way no one else did. It was heartbreakingly wrong to see him hide under a desk. He’d had panic attacks and periods of heightened anxiety before, but he had never been  _ scared of Chris _ . 

 

“Everything’s okay.” He said again. “I’m not mad.”

 

“I know.” James whispered. His limbs loosened and he leaned forward, resting his head against Chris’ shoulder. “Can you hold me?” 

 

Chris wrapped his arms tightly around his boyfriend, his face pressed against the soft blond hair, as if his embrace alone could keep him safe and sound forever. 

He held him and rubbed his back, waiting for the sobbing and shaking to calm down, humming soft tunes like he had done for Connor whenever he had woken from his Hell Dreams. He wondered if they’d ever outrun the damage the LDS church had done to them. 

 

“I know you would never hurt me. Deep down. I’m not scared of you, I trust you.” James said hoarsely. “I don’t know what happened. I just can’t-”

 

“It’s okay.” Chris murmured, pressing a kiss on James’ forehead. “I got an idea. How about you get your paints?” He leaned back to look into the big blue eyes staring back at him in confusion, and gently cupped his boyfriend’s face in his hands, wiping the leftover tears from his cheeks with his thumb. “You’ll just paint the rest of the thing. We can add some stickers. Or glitter. Whatever you want. Make it a happy little accident.”

 

“Are you serious?” James’ eyes grew large, an idea visibly sparking in his mind. He scrambled to his feet, eagerly racing after his supplies. When inspiration hit him, there was no stopping him. His smile spread over his entire face, lighting up the room as he set up his work station, nodding to himself approvingly. He placed the damaged macbook on the desk and shot Chris another questioning glance. 

 

“Go ahead, I’ll make us dinner.” Chris smiled, leaving him to get lost in his own world. 

When he returned half an hour later, James was hunched over the desk, paint splattered over his face and shirt. He rose and pointed at his work, beaming proudly.

 

“Do you remember?” 

 

The cover showed a beautiful scene of the sun rising over the savannah, mountains in the distance, the silhouettes of small huts and and busy outline against the vibrant colours.

It was the scene they’d seen from outside the mission hut’s window the morning after their first night together. Connor had used the beautiful day as an excuse to wake them extra early, so he could give them that teasing grin as he walked into their room and pulled back the curtains. Like Kevin and him were any better. 

Still, it had been a wonderful moment, watching the village waking up, the people they’d grown to love starting their day, with the memory of eager kisses and gentle touch still fresh on their minds as they stood by the window, arm in arm, feeling each other’s closeness.

 

“Of course I do. I’ll remember that morning for the rest of my life.” Chris said softly, pulling James towards him. “It’s beautiful.” He kissed him softly, feeling the cool paint smears on his skin. “Thank you.”


End file.
